The state Department of Education is distributing an "opt out" form for parents of public middle school and high school students who would like to prevent their child's personal information from being released to military recruiters.

Under the federal No Child Left Behind law, school systems that receive federal funding must provide the names, addresses and telephone numbers of secondary school students to military recruiters. However, parents do have the right to opt out by requesting the personal information be withheld.

Parents or legal guardians who would would like to keep their child's information private may visit the state DOE's Web site at doe.k12.hi.us to download the opt-out form. Forms should be submitted to the student's school.

Those who previously submitted a form do not have to resubmit. Requests will remain on file until the student leaves the school system.

The DOE is required to submit contact information to military recruiters on Nov. 1. Students should submit forms prior to the release date to prevent disclosure. For more information, visit doe.k12.hi.us.

COLLEGE-BOUND

SOME PERFECT SCORES AMONG THE SAT SET

Of the more than 2.6 million SAT exams taken during the 2006-07 school year, 335 came back with a perfect 2400, according to the College Board, which administers the SAT — formerly known as the Scholastic Assessment Test and the Scholastic Aptitude Test. The SAT is intended as an aid in predicting how well students will do in college.

Source: College Board/(Louisville, Ky.) Courier-Journal

KIDS ONLINE

SOME PARENTS UNEASY ABOUT NET

One third of parents believe children spend too much time online, and mothers worry far more than fathers about whether certain Internet sites are appropriate for kids, according to a new survey.

Researchers for the nonprofit Common Sense Media and education foundation Cable in the Classroom also found that one in four parents worried that time spent online kept children from exercising or enjoying the outdoors.

Although four out of five parents said the Internet helped their kids in school, nearly three out of four acknowledged that they've had "issues" with their children's online activities.

Source: Rachel Konrad, AP technology writer